Day by Day, Side by Side
by Naela
Summary: They exist, separate yet bound by a thread so tenuous and frayed, ready to snap with just one last betrayal.
1. Chapter 1

**Day by Day, Side by Side**

**Author's Notes:** Starcraft ain't mine, I'm just a dabbling within Blizzard's wonderful little universe while waiting for more releases from them. With that out of the way, lemme just say I'm quite surprised with myself for starting a Starcraft fic of all things, but damn did I just fall in love with what Blizzard did with WoL. This story on the other hand, deviates quite a bit from the main story of WoL though it stays true to many of the elements the game introduced.

* * *

**Chapter One**

_Jim..._

Four years and she was still there. Lingering in the back of his mind, a presence just hovering over his shoulder- so tangible he was damn sure he could feel the heat of her breath ghosting across his skin. There were still days when he'd catch himself half turning, half expecting her to be there.

Then he would remember and with a pang of resentment he would force her out of his mind. No mean feat against an off the charts psionic and it always came with the price of a pounding headache, but he'd take the risk of a migraine over the cruel psychic manipulations of a woman bent on crushing his soul any day.

He could feel one coming on already and stifled a groan behind a large hand as he massaged his forehead, knowing what would be on the agenda for the night: a bottle of pain killers and a dimly lit room.

"Can't just leave me well enough alone can you, darling?" He hadn't expected a response though Raynor was almost certain he could feel just the faintest sense of laughter at the edges of his consciousness, until it faded away, the link between them finally shut.

"Sir?"

Startled, Raynor looked up to see Matt staring at him with an expression that was both confused and concerned. It was almost touching if not a tad irritating. He was once again confusing psionic conversations with normal speak.

They stood on the bridge of the _Hyperion_ and though the lighting was low, even the green display of the star map was getting to him. "Nothing," he rubbed a hand over his face as he backed away from the device, which eased the pressure a little. "Just got a bit of a headache."

Matt looked sceptical. "Doesn't look like a bit to me. Maybe you should go see Dr. Hanson?"

Raynor snorted, though he couldn't quite help his amused smile. Despite Matt's depressing interest in politics he could be as subtle as Tychus at times. "Is there some sort of pool going on that I'm not aware of? If that's the case I'd like to pitch in a bet too."

At least Matt had the decency to look guilty. "There might be something like a pool in effect that Swann is possibly organizing."

"Swann? Really? I would have thought it'd be Tychus."

"Well, it started with him and Tychus."

Raynor was starting to feel something pulsating in his head, which was never a good sign. "I don't think I want to know." He didn't bother hiding his wince at a sudden sharp stab in his skull. "Listen, I'm just gonna to lie down or something. Whatever Tychus wants us to do it can wait."

"Go ahead. It's just another scouting mission. I'm sure the boys can handle themselves without you, sir." Matt offered him a half smile and a salute before he returned to the star map though Raynor didn't miss the brief glance of worry that his second in command shot him before he left the bridge.

Matt was a good kid, often a little overbearingly idealistic, but Raynor had to admit that he liked him that way. Sometimes, when he let his thoughts wander a little too far he'd think of John, his long dead son, when he saw Matt. There was hardly any resemblance between the two, the ages weren't even right, but Raynor couldn't help the way his mind worked. Though right now he certainly wished that were the case with the way his head was torturing him.

He counted it as a blessing that he managed to make it to his quarters without collapsing and curling up into a little whimpering ball on the floor. Raynor made a beeline for his bedside table the moment the door closed shut behind him. The bottle of painkillers was nearly out when he popped the lid, but thankfully there were still a handful left to last him through the night. He wondered if he could sweet talk Hanson into giving him one from her stock.

The door chimed, a mite too loud for Raynor, announcing a visitor. For a moment he wondered if he could get away with pretending he wasn't there, but the voice on the other side of the door dashed that hope to pieces.

"I know you're in there, Jim." It was Ariel Hanson's muffled voice. "I'm not leaving until you let me in."

Raynor sighed, pressing both palms against his eyes as he got up to give her entrance. He leaned against the doorframe, shielding his eyes as light flooded into the room. He heard rather than saw Dr. Hanson step into the room and could feel the waves of disapproval coming off her.

"You sure do know how to pick a time to drop by, Doc," he muttered and slapped the door controls. Immediately they were both swallowed in darkness, though Raynor's eyes had adjusted enough that he could stagger over to his desk and slump against it without walking into anything.

"Matt called me," she answered simply. He could see her faint outline searching for him. "He thought it'd be best if I came up here to see you."

"I'm gonna have a talk with Matt," he muttered.

Gingerly, she picked her way through the dark towards the direction of his voice, both hands extended out to avert any possible collision with the furniture. Raynor grunted and leaned back when Ariel placed both hands on his chest. She stilled for several seconds, comprehending what she was touching and jerked away. "I'm... uh, sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

"It's... all right," Raynor shifted uncomfortably on the desk, suddenly all too aware of the intimacy of their situation. Alone in the dark in his bedroom, the boys were going to have a field day with this. For a bunch of battle hardened soldiers, his Raiders were the biggest bunch of gossipers he'd ever met. "I should have put a light on or something."

There was a long silence between them as they both tried to recover their wits. "Anyway," Ariel straightened her shoulders, all professionalism once again. "Matt told me you had a headache. I just wanted to see if you were all right."

"I'm fine, Ariel," Raynor allowed himself a grin. The good doctor who had important Zerg research to do, coming all the way up from her lab to call on him. Despite a certain ex-convict's claims, he wasn't as blind as many were led to believe. Well, not when it was pointed out to him at least. "It's just a headache."

From Ariel's unimpressed look, Raynor knew he wasn't going to be let off the hook that easy. "From what I understand, you have quite the history of headaches. I've had a look at your medical records on hand, which by the way I'm amazed at how some of you have made it this far with how poorly organized your files are, but from what I've seen this is a long standing issue that's been unaddressed."

Raynor raised a brow. "You've looked at my medical records? Aren't those supposed to be, you know, confidential or something?"

Even in the dark, Raynor swore Ariel was blushing. "I thought it would be pertinent," she murmured, looking away.

"Since when did you become my personal doctor anyway?" Raynor cocked his head, mouth twisted into a wry smile. She did look cute when she was all flustered.

Ariel rounded back on him, stabbing him in the chest with a finger. "Since a certain commander decided that his health was his lowest priority. I could write up a list of how badly you take care of yourself, Jim. I don't know if it's just ignorance or a self-destructive tendency you have."

All humour faded from Raynor as he slid off the desk, straightening. "Self-destructive tendencies, huh? Someone been talking to you or you come up with that all by yourself, Dr. Hanson?" He already knew the answer, Hanson didn't know him well enough or long enough to come to such a damning judgement about him, but he did have similar arguments like this one often with Matt.

The headache, which had abated during their little banter, suddenly came back full force. It took quite a bit of control for him not to grab his head and cringe. Apparently Ariel's vision well enough to the dark to notice. She was immediately by his side, hand pressed against his forehead as she stood as tall as she could to examine him. Even through the pain he was aware of her scent, it was fragrant, reminding him of flowers he couldn't identify. His thoughts wandered back to Sarah, to Liddy and for a moment he could almost lose himself in those memories.

"This isn't just a minor headache, Jim," she said softly, bringing him back to the present, to the pain.

He didn't resist when she took his hand and led him to his bed, forcing him to sit on its edge. She turned on the bedside lamp and made a sound of disapproval when she spotted the nearly empty bottle of painkillers. Thankfully she managed to withhold whatever lecture she had on the tip of her tongue. They both squinted against the light though it was Ariel who recovered first while he winced and looked away. A soft hand rested against his cheek, slowly nudging him to look up. Ariel peered closely into his eyes, turning his head from side to side and up and down.

After several more minutes of poking and prodding, she sat back on her heels with a sigh. He wasn't sure if he liked that sound. "Well? What's the prognosis, Doc?"

"I need a lab and equipment before I can actually make a sound diagnosis, Jim," she chided, though she was wearing a small smile and that alone was enough to comfort him. "I really wish you'd gone to a medic sooner about this. Headaches, pain especially, are a symptom of something wrong. It's no small matter to overlook."

"It's..." Jim took in a shaky breath, trying to find the right words. "I think it's some kind of psionic feedback. I only get em after Kerrigan tries poking around in my head." He realized as soon as the words left his mouth that this was the first time he was telling anyone aboard his ship about Kerrigan's psychic tinkering. Though he was certain Matt suspected something, but nothing was ever said between them.

Ariel looked intrigued and Raynor knew it was the scientist in her that was coming out, her expression was not unlike Stetmann's when he discovered something new. "Psionic feedback? I don't think I've heard of anything like that before, granted terran psionic research is only just beginning to broaden into something substantial." She frowned and stood up, hand on her chin as she was lost in thought. "If you really think that's the case I don't think I can help you with the headaches except maybe to prescribe you a safer range of medication to help with the pain. I'm hardly an expert when it comes to psionics."

"Any help I can get to deal with the pain I'll appreciate. I wasn't expecting any miracles," Raynor shrugged, his gaze drifted to the floor, towards the shadows for relief.

"Jim," the sudden soft tone of her voice made him look up, he blinked when he met her gaze, sympathetic and full of sorrow at the same time. She crouched down beside him, placing a hand on his arm. The warmth of the touch was a balm against his headache, relieving the pressure to a manageable level. "I've only known you for a few months, but you've done so much for me already. I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you need me. And, I'm also sorry, about what I said earlier."

For several moments Raynor tried to speak, but it was difficult with that lump in his throat. He swallowed hard and made several attempts. With Ariel this close to him, he realized how long it'd been since he'd dared do anything with another woman. Not with Sarah when there was a war going on, not since Liddy. He lost his nerve and looked away. "It's fine, Ariel. We all say things we don't mean. I know you're just worried 'bout me."

She smiled, her hand sliding down his arm to give his own a squeeze. Her palm lingered against his for several moments before she released him and stood, taking several steps back. "Come down to the lab sometime. Even if you think it's some sort of psionic feedback I still want to run some tests to make sure it's not something else."

Feeling like dead weight, Raynor nodded numbly. "Will do, Doc."

She was by the door when she stopped, still smiling. "Get some rest, Jim."

Then she was gone and Raynor was left alone in his quarters. He released a long sigh and lowered himself onto the bed. "You're an idiot, Jim Raynor."

He fell asleep thinking of Ariel, but in his dreams there was another woman waiting for him. The echoes of her laughter chased him through shadows until he awoke in a cold sweat with her voice still whispering in his mind.

_Jim... Jim... Jim..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"You look like crap, Jimmy."

Raynor stood at the entrance of the bridge, eyebrows raised. It was hardly surprising that the first words out of Tychus' mouth for the day would be a degrading remark, but he wouldn't be Tychus if he wasn't blunt and upfront about everything.

"Good morning to you too, Tychus."

From his position he surveyed the bridge, all of his crew were here as ordered. Matt stood at his usual spot by the star map though his jaw was clenched unusually tight. His second in command always adopted a look just shy of a scowl whenever Tychus was anywhere near, especially on his bridge. Today he looked about ready to slug it out with the ex-convict, which was disconcerting since Matt wasn't the type to do his fighting with his fists.

Tychus claimed a corner of the bridge, sticking out like a sore thumb in his suit. Unlike Matt he was smug, almost pleased, which was nothing out of the ordinary most of the time, but at this early hour his friend should have been ornerier than heck. It was how he was in the mornings way back when and it hadn't changed since he came aboard the _Hyperion_. Raynor suspected Matt's unusually poor mood and Tychus' unusually good one were somehow linked.

Hands on his hips, he strolled over to the star map and shot pointed looks at both men. "Anything I need to know about?" Sometimes when he was with these two, he felt like he was back on Mar Sara breaking up fights between John and one of his schoolmates.

"Don't know what ya mean," Tychus said with a wide grin, doing his best to shrug in his suit. "The boy and I were just workin' out the details of an agreement we made a while ago."

"Hmm," Raynor said, levelling a stern gaze at Matt who failed at trying to look innocent. He wondered if 'bet' was a more fitting word than 'agreement'. He was already hearing enough about the rumours concerning him and Hanson since she paid a visit to his quarters. "Whatever it is it can wait. Let's get down to business. Matt, what have ya got from the scouts?"

Matt sobered, any grievances he had with Tychus were put aside as he brought up several images that were presumably taken by the scouts. Soldiers on vultures and marines on foot were shown in a lush landscape of forests and plains. Several of the images were of an ancient building, sunken into the earth, overgrown with moss and roots. Abandoned and nearly falling apart, Raynor saw that the building shared a similar design with those old xel'naga temples they'd come across during their artefact hunting expeditions.

"Just what we expected, sir, we found a number of old ruins that were ready to collapse from the slightest disturbance, but there's something inside all right and it's messing with our scans." Matt brought up a video feed that closed in on the building's entrance before it dissolved abruptly into static. Something about that brought a chill down Raynor's spine.

"Looks like no one's been there in ages," he turned to Tychus expectantly. "What's so important that you want us to risk our necks going in there?"

"What else but a bunch of old crap them boys at Moebius are interested in?" Tychus retorted. "I don't know what their game is, hell I don't care, but they're paying good money for whatever's in there. Don't tell me you afraid of a buncha rocks now, Jimmy?"

"Rocks? No. A Zerg ambush maybe. Another run in with the Tal'darim ain't high on my list of things to do today either."

"Don't ya worry yer ugly head bout that, we run into something, we blast 'em, like we've always done," Tychus grinned, which did anything but reassure. "Old times, right?"

"It's a wonder how they ever caught you," Matt muttered, just loud enough for Raynor to hear and from the way Tychus was still grinning, not loud enough to reach him. Good thing too or there would be chaos on the bridge and that was another item that was on the very bottom of his list of things to do, especially this early in the morning.

Whatever meds Ariel had given him they were doing wonders against the headaches, but he wasn't ready to risk it by having to break up two boys ready to scrap over their wounded pride. The nightmares had abated, but a restful sleep was still as elusive for him as ever. One of the side effects of the medications until his body could adjust to them from what he could gather. Not a big deal for him, in his line of work he dealt with plenty of sleepless nights.

He shot Matt a warning look, but gave himself away when a corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk. His second in command almost appeared serious, but he knew Matt well enough that he was trying to bite down on a smile. Fair enough, if underhanded comments about Tychus were what put Matt in a good mood, then he'd let it slide.

He looked back at the display filled with abbreviated information from the reconnaissance. The mission seemed simple enough, swoop in, play at being an archaeologist and grab the loot. Simple and quick, too bad he knew missions like these had a tendency to go horribly, horribly wrong. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he looked at the images of that derelict building. Gut feelings however, didn't put food on the table and weapons in the armoury. Tychus was right, the money was too tempting. Whatever was in there, Moebius wanted it real bad.

"All right," Raynor spoke up, "we'll go down and check out those ruins, see what we can find. Hopefully it's not infested with zerg or some other nasty type of critter. I doubt that place can handle even ten marines searching around much less a fire fight."

"Atta boy, Jimmy, I knew you'd come to your senses," Tychus strolled over to him and patted him heavily on the shoulder. He winced, knees almost buckling under the force of the blows until Tychus remembered his own strength and backed away, grumbling an almost apology. He waved the man off, as he leaned against the star map, amazed that he wasn't feeling more pain than a dull throb. He chalked it off to another benefit of the medications. Whatever Ariel gave him did more than just deal with headaches, even still he his shoulder was starting to feel sore.

It took him a few moments to recover and he was all too aware of the worried stares of his crew. He coughed as he stood, rotating his affected shoulder to test it. Stiff and likely to bruise, he could deal with it.

"All right, let's roll out," he looked around, reassuring his men with a grin. "Time to see what's on that rock that's got Moebius all excited."

* * *

Hanson found Raynor in the hanger, still prepping for the mission though he was already suited. She stood at a distance, watching as he checked his rifle. He seemed a different man wrapped up in all that metal and wiring. When he had the helmet's faceplate down he looked more like a machine, a mechanized walking death with that painted skull and black armour.

Jim felt her stare and looked up, meeting her gaze with a nearly comical blank look until his mind caught up with the rest of him and he managed an awkward wave. She shook her head, smiling, as she waved back as she made her way towards him. There was apprehension in his eyes as she made her approach and not for the first time, she regretted that night she'd visited him in his quarters. Nothing happened between them, but Jim acted as though he'd committed some heinous crime.

Lord knows nearly all of the _Hyperion_ thought that something did happen. She heard enough of those rumours from Stetmann to the point that she'd been sorely tempted to do physical harm to the oblivious man. With the way Jim was acting around her now, it was sure to feed the rumour mill.

When it came to relationships, she wasn't a particularly bold woman. It took a week of working up her nerve before she could approach Jim in private. Even with all of the pushing and prodding she received from Rory and Matt, who were two horrible little matchmakers, she was reluctant. She understood their motives enough: use her as a distraction to get their commander's mind off the past. The idea was a tad insulting, but on reflection, she found that she couldn't wholly disagree with them.

Every time she looked at Jim she saw a man haunted by his failures, his ghosts were always with him, affecting him right down to that weary yet gentle smile of his that sent her heart a flutter like a school girl. It was almost painful to watch him sometimes. She rarely ventured down to the cantina, but on occasion she would go on invitation and she would find him there alone, nursing a drink.

For a man who was barely in his mid thirties he'd seen and been through far too much for one person to handle. The physical toll it was taking on him was obvious, but it was more than the physical scars that worried Ariel. He carried a heavy burden that he was adamant on shouldering alone. Jim wasn't a survivor, he was just surviving. He was simply passing the days as best he could with only vengeance as his fuel.

It was sad.

"What brings a beautiful lady like you all the way down here?" Jim asked with that surprisingly gentle smile.

"Just wanted to check on my favourite patient before he goes off on another dangerous mission," Ariel replied. "How are you holding up with the new medications?"

"Not getting a lot of sleep," Jim admitted. "But they're doing wonders for the headaches."

"We're probably going to have to tweak the dosages until we can find what's right for you. I chose those drugs specifically for you considering your... habits." She considered herself more of a scientist than a medical doctor, but there were times when she found it hard to hold back those old health lectures. "They metabolize in the kidneys rather than in the liver."

Jim's brows drew together in confusion. "Uh... whatever you want, Doc, I trust you a hundred percent." Ariel managed to transform her grin into a contained smile. He was cute when he looked that way. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but sometimes she would deliberately use professional terms to see that very expression.

The speakers over head came to life though it was so riddled with static Ariel could barely understand a word. Apparently everyone else did as the hanger was suddenly a bustle of activity with engineers and soldiers rushing back and forth.

Jim was watching the activity as well with a distant look on his face, though Ariel couldn't discern what possible thoughts would be on his mind. It was more than just this mission that was weighing him down. She understood that it was supposed to be a simple excavation, nothing to warrant the type of worry she saw in his eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

Jim shook his head and laughed gruffly. "No, not really. Just being silly."

The answer was far from being satisfactory, but it would have to do for now, Ariel was feeling the press of time on them and she still had things to say before he departed. "Listen, before you go, I just wanted to ask about the... 'psionic feedback' as you call it."

Immediately his expression darkened and Ariel filed the reaction to the back of her mind to decipher the reasons why for another time. "What about it?" he asked guardedly.

"Have you approached the protoss on this subject yet?" Her knowledge of the protoss stemmed from what she gleaned from the news and from heavily censored articles that floated around. "Given how most terran experts on psionics are pretty much locked away in Dominion territory I'm sure your best bet is with them."

"Well, can't say I have, but even if I did and wanted to, I've been out of contact with the protoss for years," Jim shook his head and looked ready to say something else until a message sent through his suit's comm drew his attention. He looked back towards the dropship that was already being loaded and turned his attention back to her, smiling again. "Listen, I gotta go, but when I come back we can talk more about this later."

Ariel nodded, though she wanted to talk about so much more. There had been ideas that had danced in her head while she was in the lab until they were all she could think about. Work and research kept her busy and it was only now that she had the free time to speak with Jim about her thoughts, but her time had already run out. She resigned herself to wait a while longer.

She placed a hand on his arm, just like before in his room, but this time it was far different. The smooth armour of the suit was cold and lifeless. There was no comfort to be drawn from it. "You still need to come down to the lab like you said you would."

Jim laughed, hearty and without any derision or weariness. "I will, I will. I'll see you real soon, Ariel."

She pulled her hand back and watched as he marched for the dropship, joined by his men. Feeling suddenly cold, she wrapped her arms around herself. Overhead another static riddled message blared through the speakers. Men and women scattered from the hanger and Ariel did the same. She held her read out to her chest as she made her way down the corridor with her thoughts entirely on Jim.

There would be a day when he would be done with his vengeance and all he had left was nothing. When that time came, she wondered what he would become, another Mengsk? Or would he simply fade away into the stars?

Either way, she wouldn't be there. Despite what Matt or Rory hoped for, she had no place in his future. She could be that woman in his life if she wanted to, if he would let her in, and in time he probably would. Jim could come to care for her, maybe even believe that he loved her, but his heart and soul would always belong to someone else. It was difficult knowledge to swallow, but Ariel was pragmatic enough with relationships to realize the truth. The best she could do was ensure that he stayed alive long enough to see his plans through.

She rolled her shoulders back and sighed, feeling extremely tired. Between zerg research and sorting through logistics for her people, she was starting to become just as bad as Jim when it came to sleep. Crawling into bed to sleep away the rest of the day was becoming a better idea by the minute.

She looked down at her read out and pulled up her schedule for the day in hopes for something she could erase from the timetable. There was a meeting she promised with some of the colonists in an hour that she couldn't cancel, but maybe she could cut back on her lab hours... With her attention focused solely on the read out, she rounded a corner and collided into a walking giant.

"Oh!" She stumbled backwards and lost her footing.

Instead of meeting dirty steel floor, a hand shot out and clamped around her arm, pulling her back upright. "Best be watchin' yourself, sweet one. Might be hurting yourself otherwise."

Words of gratitude died in her throat and she swallowed hard. She knew little of Gabriel Tosh, only that he had been to the Ghost Academy and was now a Spectre. There was little enough knowledge about Ghosts and only fanciful stories concerning their role in the Dominion. There was absolutely next to nothing on Spectres. Yet she didn't need to dive into old Dominion archives to know that a killer stood before her now.

There were a lot of characters on the ship that she tended to avoid for one reason or another. Tosh was one of them, the fact that he made the cantina his usual hangout made it easier for her to pretend that he didn't exist. She still had no idea why Jim would even consort with the likes of Tosh; much less let him stay on his ship.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, forcing herself to meet the man's gaze. His eyes were the worst feature about him, milky white yet piercing in his stare. She could almost feel him raking into her mind. "I hope I didn't... hurt you." She felt ridiculous the moment she spoke those words, if anything she was probably the one who'd come out of their encounter more than a little worse for the wear. Her right arm and side where she had collided into him ached.

His mouth stretched into a nearly feral smile. "Think nothing of it. I came down here hoping to find Raynor, but I guess he be gone now."

"I suppose. He was boarding the dropship when I left him."

His smile disappeared, his demeanour instantly solemn. Ariel wasn't certain what disturbed her most, that crazed smile, his cold sobriety or how easily he could switch between those two polar states with hardly a reason.

"I suppose I be seeing him later then," he turned abruptly, already back trekking his steps. He paused, looking back at her with another smile. "That's if he makes it back alive."

His words struck her like a physical blow. "What?" she whispered after his retreating back. She spoke again, louder. "What do you mean?"

He turned again, now at the opposite end of the corridor. Belatedly Ariel noted that they were somehow alone, just the two of them in what was supposed to be a high traffic area. "I think, perhaps, that maybe a doctor like yourself should be making sure that your medical tools are ready. Just in case."

It almost sounded like a death threat, but it didn't make sense. She knew enough about Ghosts and Spectres that if they wanted someone dead they wouldn't go around announcing it. In fact she was certain that he giving her a warning. From what she heard about Tosh, she knew he was supposed to be a tad eccentric and often spoke in riddles.

Ariel clutched her read out protectively to her chest as she looked up to meet his gaze. Those white eyes-she shuddered and under that gaze she felt as though something was pushing into her mind. The corridor fell away from her as she was swept away, thrown by the wind, a torrent of emotions that weren't hers... fear, resentment and most of all, death. Everything was suddenly cold and she was shaking uncontrollably as the chill sank into her body. The force of the emotions bore down on her, unrelenting until it was certain that she understood. She did, she understood completely and the pressure lifted.

It was like she was floating down, back into her body. Tosh was gone and for several moments she was alone, hearing only the heavy sounds of her breathing as she tried to control her trembling. Slowly, life trickled back into the corridor, several of the crew either ignoring her or throwing cautious looks in her direction.

From the other end of the corridor Rory Swann came into sight, he was busy speaking to another of his colleagues when he caught sight of her and frowned. "Ariel?" He was by her side immediately. "What's wrong? You look spooked."

Ariel placed a hand to her head, trying to clear the fog that clouded her thoughts. "I... I think so." She was feeling the beginnings of a pounding headache and for the first time could actually sympathize and understand what Jim must go through.

Rory bent and picked up her read out, handing it to her. "Maybe you should take yourself down to the sick ward. Heard there was a bug spreading around the ship."

Ariel almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of the suggestion and immediately felt guilty. It was a simple cold that one of the marines had brought on board with him that barely had anything with her current state, but Ariel nodded slowly, peering down at her read out. She couldn't remember when she'd dropped it, but was surprised that it was still displaying her schedule.

"I think you're right," she murmured. "I think I will."

She switched off the device without giving it a second glance. "Thanks, Rory," she smiled at him, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she left him. Most likely she had just confused him, but that mattered little to her. There were preparations to be made and appointments to postpone.

She had a busy day ahead of her.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** A rather Ariel centric chapter, but at least I got to throw Tosh and Tychus into the mix. Definitely more on Tychus in the coming chapters since he's one of my favourites from WoL and is so much fun to write.

Also, thank you to those who took the time to read the first chapter and especially to those who reviewed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The dropship's descent through the planet's atmosphere was smooth with barely a hitch save for the occasional turbulence that Raynor had become accustomed to long ago. An update from the pilot told him that they would be landing within thirty minutes. Raynor sat back on one of the benches with his gauss rifle clutched tight as thoughts raced through his head, working through unnecessary strategies for the mission. It was meant to calm him, instead all it did was rocket his stress sky high. He was really horrible with finding ways to cope with anxiety.

At the moment he wished he hadn't left his flask back on the _Hyperion_, but the day he started drinking during a mission might as well be the same day he turned himself in to Mengsk. It was essentially mounting up to the same thing with less of a cost to his men's lives.

There was a thud of footsteps, heavy enough to send vibrations through the ship. Raynor didn't bother looking up when Tychus took the empty seat beside him. "What's got you all wound up tighter'n one of Horner's piece a crap watches? The good doctor holding out on ya?"

He decided to ignore the glib remark regarding Ariel, though the fact that Tychus, the man who couldn't care less about empathy and feelings, could catch onto his mood worried him. "I'm that obvious?"

Tychus snorted. "You got them other soldier boys of yours on edge. I swear some of 'em are like to fire on one of us than at an enemy with the way they are now."

Raynor grimaced and looked at his friend sideways. Tychus was leaning forward, resting all his weight on his elbow he had propped up on one knee. Even sitting Tychus had to adjust for his vast bulk and height within the small confines of the dropship. "Guess I better have a talk with 'em."

Tychus waved off the idea. "Forget about those chicken heads. First you tell me what's got ya all bothered."

"Since when did you start caring about my feelings?" Raynor turned to face his friend fully, grinning at him. It was an old joke between them, but it was also an attempt at evading the question. "Getting soft on me, Tychus?"

"You only wish." Tychus pointed one large finger at him. "You're the one who's been moping around on me since we met up again back on Mar Sara. I'm just waitin' on you to pull your head outta your six."

"Just focused on the mission," Raynor replied. "Someone's gotta do the thinking between the two of us."

"You think I'm actually gonna believe that crap, Jimmy?" Tychus snorted. "I've seen you stupidly run headlong into danger without blinkin' an eye and this is the first time you're actually afraid when you don't have reason to be."

Raynor shook his head. He knew what Tychus' reaction would be if he actually confessed his unease and he didn't feel like being straight up laughed at in front of his soldiers. "Just leave it be, Tychus. It's nothing."

He felt his friend's discontent and made a point of ignoring him for the rest of the trip to the surface. It was a hard job with Tychus' deliberate attempts at being a nuisance and succeeding at it splendidly. The ex-convict would constantly shift in his seat, the servos in his suit whirring loudly, he would grunt or cough or noisily snort up phlegm. It was the little things that Tychus did that grated on his nerves and actually speaking up felt like he would be giving in, causing Raynor to wonder when this had turned into a contest of wills.

"All right," Raynor spoke up, relenting with a heavy sigh. "What is it? What do you want?"

Tychus didn't even bother to hide his triumphant grin. "Works every time."

Raynor rolled his eyes. "Any particular reason why you felt like annoying me for the past ten minutes?"

"Fine, fine. Be like that," Tychus muttered as he sobered. "I just want to know what we're getting into since it seems like you know a lot more about what's going on than the rest of us."

"I know about as much as you do about this mission, Tychus," Raynor replied and hesitated, it was clear his friend wasn't going to let the subject drop. "I just have a bad feeling about it, that's all."

Tychus stared at him with a blank expression and for a moment Raynor was certain he would burst out laughing. Instead, his friend grimaced as he sat back against his seat. "Shit, I knew you'd say something like that," he mumbled.

Raynor looked confused. "You're not going to make fun of me about my pansy feelings?"

"Nothing I'd like to do more, but seems to me that your pansy feelings tend to be more right than wrong these days," Tychus said as he regarded him.

"Kinda have to develop a sense for things when you've got nearly the entire sector laying out trouble for you," Raynor said with a shrug.

"Guess you have a point there."

His comm system beeped again before the pilot informed him that they were going to land as near as they could to the ruins without causing any disturbance. He looked over at Tychus and grinned at him. "Well, time to strap in. You ready for some fun digging around down there?"

"Just shakin' in my boots with all this excitement, Jimmy."

Raynor had to laugh in spite of himself and was surprised when he glanced around to see that his soldiers seemed to relax at the sound of it. Well that was one problem to cross off the list at least.

* * *

They were dropped off in a grassy field less than an hour's march from the ruins though Tychus wasn't too pleased when he realized the distance they would have to cover. Raynor did his best to keep his friend in good spirits during the trek as he recounted their old adventures, which mollified Tychus somewhat.

The other soldiers also seemed to take an interest in Raynor's stories as this was one of the few times their commander actively spoke of his past. It was no secret to anyone on the Hyperion that Jim Raynor had lived an interesting life as an outlaw, but many of the soldiers had never suspected the extent of the trouble Raynor stirred in his youth. Upon reflection, many of them realized that they shouldn't have been too surprised given the amount of trouble Raynor was causing now.

When they neared their destination, Raynor ordered for everyone to cut their chatter and focus. They'd be coming to the base where they would rendezvous with the ground team sent earlier. Raynor took point and paused when he received a message and realized it was Matt. An image of his second in command appeared on the heads-up display. Just by the grim expression the man wore Raynor knew that it was going to be bad news.

"Something wrong, Matt?"

"_Sir, I just wanted to inform you that the ground team hasn't reported in within the last hour."_ Matt said. _"I scanned their base and I'm not picking up any life signs. Something's up, sir."_

Raynor sighed, barely into the mission and already things were going downhill. "Wonderful. Why am I not surprised? Keep trying to contact 'em Matt and keep me posted, but chances are we're about to find out what's up at the base soon enough."

"_Right away, sir."_

He broke the connection with Matt and turned to face his squad. "All right boys, looks like we've got trouble waiting for us. Stay sharp and keep your eyes peeled."

There were several "yes sirs" before his group of soldiers tightened formation and suddenly became alert, even Tychus dropped his sour mood as he took position behind Raynor. Figures it'd take a potentially dangerous situation for him to take things seriously and that wasn't even a hundred percent of the time. Once the action started Tychus would be flinging insults and threats all over the place. At least for all his faults he was handy in a fight and Raynor could think of only a handful others that he'd want watching his back.

The base had been set up on the high ground within good walking distance of the ruins, far away enough so that scanners could still work. There was a nearby forest in which Raynor used to stake out the compound. His sensors weren't reading anything unusual save for the numerous amount of natural wild life, but inside the base itself there was nothing. Enhanced images showed no signs of struggle, the place was deserted. That bad feeling of his was getting worse by the minute. He waited for the marines he'd sent out as scouts to return and wasn't surprised when all he got from them was sparse information about the surrounding area with nothing relevant to the missing ground team. He nodded and ordered for them to keep a look out before he activated his comm to contact the _Hyperion_.

"_Horner here."_

"Matt, you're right. Something's up. We're just outside the base and there's no one there. It's empty," Raynor looked back over at the small gathering of hastily constructed buildings, his eyes landing on one that looked like it served as the command centre. "Your scanners picked up anything else?"

"_No more than the usual, sir. I haven't been able to pick up any of the signals of our crew asides from yours and I'm getting interference from those ruins."_

"Right, then I'm going in," Raynor decided.

"_Sir, are you sure that's a good idea?"_ Matt looked concerned.

Raynor shook his head. "Not really, but how else are we going to figure out what's wrong? 'Sides, I been in tighter spots than this."

Matt looked dubious, but he nodded. _"I'll keep watch for anything unusual, sir."_

Raynor cut the connection and turned to wave the rest of his squad to dole out new orders, once again taking point as he abandoned the refuge of the trees for the abandoned base. A thought tugged at his mind as he made his approach, not just the big mystery of the missing ground team, but there was something else that he was overlooking.

He realized what was wrong the moment he set foot into the base. It was quiet, far too quiet for the number of wildlife he'd detected on his sensors. A curse escaped him as he called for a stop, using one of the smaller buildings that probably served as a barracks for cover. Forests didn't get this quiet unless there was real danger.

He scanned the area, still nothing out of the ordinary and made several gestures ordering for cover. He stepped away from the building and braced himself for an attack. None came. Not even a threat of danger as he took several more steps out into the open. He looked around him, noting that whoever had set up the base had done it per Dominion regulations, which had gone unchanged from the days of the Confederacy, everything was ordered and lined up by the book. It actually amazed him that he still remembered the regulations himself as he gestured for his squad to move forward.

"All right, fan out. I want everyone to find a buddy and to start searching. I want constant reports and don't do anything stupid," he ordered. "Tychus, you're with me."

"Well ain't I special," Tychus grumbled as he stepped up beside him. "Got any particular place in mind?"

Raynor pointed towards the command centre. "That's our pick. The rest of you move out."

There were more affirmations from his men before they disappeared into the various buildings. Raynor turned towards Tychus, who was looked eager for some action and grimaced. Chances were likely Tychus was going to get what he wanted. Hefting his gauss rifle, Raynor set out for the command centre, which was really just a squat building of cheap plastic and canvas that could be put up and taken down quickly. Nothing like those grand pieces of work he'd seen his engineers and techs put together on the fly for the more important missions.

He pulled the flap away and pointed his rifle inside, but like before there was nothing. The interior of the building was as innocuous as its exterior. There was a fold out chair in front of a rickety table laden with a bunch of communications equipment and scanners. His brow furrowed when he realized that the machines were still on. The comm systems read a last message sent to the Hyperion over two hours ago when the ground team was supposed to check in. There were no other messages sent elsewhere and the computer's log was only filed with vague information of the team's observations of the area and of the ruins.

"Looks like they poked a bit at the ruins this afternoon," Raynor mused as he scrolled through the log.

Tychus came up behind Raynor to read over his shoulder. "You figure something in there didn't 'preciate the poking?"

"Something like that," Raynor admitted. He paused as reports started coming in, none of the soldiers found anything out of place except that it looked like the ground team just up and left everything behind. The two who were responsible for searching the mess found plates of food that were half eaten. "C'mon, nothing else here for us."

They met up with the rest of the squad in the centre of the base and Raynor turned, craning his neck to regard the ruins sunken into the earth. It appeared as it had in the reconnaissance videos he'd seen back on the Hyperion, overrun with vines and moss, its walls and columns had slanted over the years. Compared to the other xel'naga temples he'd come across this one looked old, ready to fall apart. If he hadn't already known what usual xel'naga design looked like, he wouldn't have realized that the exterior of the building was meant to be sleek black instead of the fading gray that it was now.

"They're in there," he murmured.

"Whoa there Jimmy," Tychus rounded on him. "You're not actually thinking of going in there now?"

Raynor regarded his friend. "What we came here to do in the first place, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but that was before an entire team just up and disappeared like something out of a movie," Tychus retorted. "Are you outta your mind, Jimmy?"

"Depends on who you talk with," Raynor replied with an easy smile. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a bunch of rocks now, Tychus?"

"Don't you get smart with me, boy. I just like to know what I'm getting myself into," Tychus growled.

"A stupid and dangerous situation," Raynor retorted, but nodded. "But you're right. I'm not going in there. Not yet anyway, not until we have back up. So until then we sit tight."

* * *

Raynor sequestered himself inside the command centre as he waited for the back up he'd sent for to arrive. Matt had been about as thrilled about the idea of him going into the ruins as Tychus though his protests had been more reserved. Raynor stood his ground, if there was still a chance that his men were alive in there then he'd take it. Matt grudgingly accepted Raynor's points a lot better than Tychus, who was still sulking outside.

When he ended the conversation with Matt with orders for more ground forces, he sat back on the chair with a grimace. There was a painfully familiar pressure building up inside his head and he had to resist the urge to massage his own temples. He turned away from the equipment, switching several of them off, which lightened the pressure though Raynor knew without a doubt that it would soon amount of a full blown migraine.

It made to no sense, he'd taken the meds Ariel had prescribed right before the mission and it was supposed to be hours before they wore off. He'd brought more with him just in case he stayed planet side longer than he'd expected and gulped down two more pills in hopes to stave off the migraine. He knew with experience it'd take a while before the pills would take effect, but the pressure was steadily building, faster and worse than any headache he'd experienced before.

He hunched forward and squeezed his eyes shut as he waited, some of the marines occasionally dropped by to give him reports though they were ultimately inconsequential. There was nothing out of the ordinary and Raynor dismissed them with a tired wave, not catching their worried looks. Thankfully Tychus stayed away in order to sulk on his own and Raynor was left in peace.

Raynor had his head buried in his hands with his head pounding when he heard a cry and jolted upright. He grabbed for his rifle and rushed outside to find several of the other marines had done the same and were gathered at the edge of the compound. He scowled, easily irritated due to the headache, he'd given specific orders for everyone to stay close and marched up to the group.

"What's going on?" he demanded and came to a halt when his men moved aside to reveal one of his soldiers on the ground, his suit torn open at the abdomen, deep enough that he saw bleeding exposed flesh. He dropped to his knees beside the injured man and took his hand, adopting a gentler tone. "What happened, soldier?"

The marine, Mark Davis, Raynor recalled his name, made a pained look as he struggled to speak. "J-Jeff... attacked me... was going...t-tried to stop him..."

Raynor squeezed Mark's hand, trying to maintain his expression from the despair that was roiling inside his gut. The wound was fatal and Mark was dying in one of the worst possible ways. He looked over at the other marines. "Anyone see what happened?"

A soldier stepped forward. Grace, one of the few female marines he had under his employ though he knew that she was tough as nails when it came to combat. "I came as soon as I heard a cry and saw Jeff run off towards the ruins, sir."

"The ruins." Raynor said, refusing the urge to look in the direction of the ancient temple. He brought his attention back towards Mark, who'd gone white though he was considerably calmer. Raynor saw that the marine's pupils were incredibly wide; the suit was finally pumping narcotics into his systems.

He stayed with Mark, still holding his hand, watching as his breathing became progressively slower until finally he stilled. It took several moments before Raynor stood, feeling the weight of the silence around him. The other marines jumped when he ordered for them to move Mark's body into the barracks, out of sight until they could transport him back to the _Hyperion_ for a proper funeral.

He walked back towards the command centre to find Tychus waiting for him and his expression darkened. Raynor cut off his friend before he could open his mouth. "For once Tychus, can you please just keep whatever it is you have to say to yourself?"

Raynor was surprised when he saw the barest hint of hurt in Tychus' face, but it was gone so quickly that he wondered if he'd imagined it. Except Tychus was just about the last person he'd go around projecting compassionate feelings onto, which made Raynor feel guilty. In his own ways Tychus did try to be a friend, sometimes not an effective one when he needed a shoulder rather than a buddy, but it was the thought that was supposed to count.

"Look, sorry, I'm just a bit high strung, I guess," Raynor mumbled.

"S'ok, watching your man die ain't never an easy thing to sit through," Tychus shrugged. "I get ya."

Raynor glanced back towards where Mark had died, but his soldiers had worked fast and the body was already gone. "Jeff Williams," he closed his eyes trying to remember the man. He was more of a kid than anything, an idealistic youth who'd joined up with his Raiders not too long ago. He'd been a scrawny thing that had bulked up fast after rigorous training, but no amount of muscle the kid put on could hide the fact that he was still barely a man. He couldn't believe that someone like Jeff had it in him to kill his own squad mate, or even had the ability to tear through a CMC suit. "None of this is making any sense to me."

He grit his teeth as he felt a spike of pain in his head, forgotten in the commotion, but now returning in full force, even worse than before with all that adrenalin pumping in his systems. The pills weren't working and the headache was getting to the point that he just wanted to crawl into a dark hole and stay there.

"You sick or something, Jimmy?"

"Headache," Raynor replied tersely. "This place is getting to me."

"Don't blame ya none," Tychus agreed. "The faster we get outta here the better."

Raynor was almost inclined to agree with him, but he had a man dead, another one gone rogue and an entire ground team missing, all signs were pointing towards the ruins. He wasn't going to leave until he got this mystery solved, headache or no.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This was a rather difficult chapter to start writing, but surprisingly once I got going I couldn't stop. Tychus and Jim's banter was really fun to write and I barely had to change any of the scenes. Also for any of you guys who've read the SC2 _Frontline_ manga you'll note that there are some parallels drawn between _Voice in the Darkness_ and the last half of this chapter. I highly recommend for people to pick up the _Frontline_ series, especially volume 4, its very good and even has a story written by Chris Metzen himself that explores Jim Raynor's back story and if it ain't obvious by now, but I am such a huge Jim Raynor fangirl.

And don't worry, Kerrigan will be making an appearance soon enough.

As always, reviews are very much appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

It was nearing sunset when back up arrived, a squad of marines filed into the base and were surprised to find that their commander was nowhere in sight. Tychus watched as the next higher up in the chain of command took over and began barking out orders. If he actually wanted to he could have assumed control, but he had a pretty good idea on how Jimmy would react to his orders.

He snorted as the chicken suits took up their posts and ignored them as he headed for the command centre. There were two marines on guard, but it took one deadly look and they clamped their mouths shut. Tychus entered the small building to find Jimmy slumped forward in his chair with his face buried in his hands.

"Headache ain't letting up?"

"Right now it'd be a mercy if you shot me through the head," came Jimmy's muffled response.

Tychus couldn't sympathize, he had bad hangovers sure, and he'd been hit in the head far more times than he could count with both hands, but he ain't never been in a state as bad as Jimmy was in right now. "Can't, that'd put Horner in charge and then I can kiss my thirty good-bye." Not to mention Horner was like to throw him out of the airlock if he could, especially after losing that last bet over Jimmy's supposed tryst with the good doctor. "Just so you know your back up's here. Don't see no reason why you called them down seeing how it'd be stupid as hell to send them into that god forsaken place."

Jimmy sighed and dropped his hands into his lap. "I've explained it a hundred times now, Tychus. I get it. You don't want to go in there. If you're that much of a coward you can stay out here. I'll deal with it."

"No, I know what you're thinking," Tychus retorted as he jabbed a finger at Jimmy. "Losing all them men in there don't sit well with ya and the big mystery's got you all torn up enough that you can't think straight."

"Maybe that's the case. Right now, I don't really give a damn," Raynor snapped and shot up fast enough that he kicked his chair over. "You have no idea what it's like to lose people who put their lives on the line for you. All it is for you is shooting things and being paid. You don't see the big picture, never have, never will."

"Better than being responsible for sending all them folk to their deaths," Tychus growled. "Ever think about your actions for a second, Jimmy? What do you think is going to happen when we go in there?"

Raynor barked a cruel laugh. "You're lecturing me on consequences? Now that's rich."

"Yeah, I am. The very man who lost nine years of his life on ice for stupid mistakes," Tychus stepped closer, his giant hands clenching into fists. "Don't you forget that."

Tychus expected for Jimmy to back down and utter some lame ass apologies, his guilty conscience getting the better of him. It was usually the case whenever he played the prison card, but Jimmy saw through his bluff, his eyes narrowed and his expression became cold enough that Tychus was almost worried. "Get out."

Tychus didn't bother to spare Jimmy another look as he stormed out of the command centre, knocking one of the marines on guard out of his way. He stomped back to one of the small tents and plopped himself down on a stump that had served as a makeshift table. It was the only object in this blasted base that was sturdy enough to hold his weight.

In the distance he saw the rest of the soldiers patrolling the compound, still confused about the lack of orders from their commander. Several of them were adamant in avoiding the building where they'd dumped the body. One of the soldiers, the marine that had taken charge since Jimmy was being hard headed, shot a forlorn look in his direction, which Tychus returned with glare. It was enough to send the man scurrying to the other direction. So much for battle hardened soldiers.

Tychus stewed in his own anger and self pity, for long moments he pictured smashing in Jimmy's face, which cheered him up considerably. His attention was pulled away from his imaginings when he noticed activity across the base, a bunch of soldiers was gathered together, many of them wearing puzzled looks. Tychus thought about ignoring them for a second before he sighed and forced himself towards the group.

Many of them didn't notice his approach, but the ones standing outside of the circle saw him and quickly started elbowing each other in warning. They snapped to attention when Tychus came to a stop, causing him to roll his eyes at the formality. "Having ourselves a tea party here, boys?"

"Sir," the marine who'd assumed command stepped forward. At least he looked tougher than the rest of these peons. A large scar that cut down the marine's right cheek proved that he'd seen his fair share of fights. "We can't find Richards or Dawson."

Tychus had no idea who either of the two was, but he assumed they were supposed to be part of their group. Now that he thought about it, their numbers did seem a bit smaller, but it could be that the missing soldiers were elsewhere in the base. "Did you boys even bother to look for them?"

"Yes, sir. We've been reporting in every fifteen minutes since Williams ran off and when Richards and Dawson failed to do so we began a search party. We've combed through the entire base and have found no trace of them, sir," the scarred marine informed him.

"Quit that crap will ya?" Tychus snapped. "I stopped being military a long time ago."

"Of course... sir," the scarred marine winced, but Tychus chose to ignore him.

"Keep looking for 'em and no one walks around alone now," Tychus ordered. He turned away before the marine could snap off a salute and began to head for the command centre. Ol' Jimmy was definitely not going to like this.

* * *

"Disappeared," Raynor repeated.

"Both of 'em. Just up and left." Tychus said.

For a long moment Jimmy remained silent, just stared off into a corner of the building. Tychus was certain that Jimmy was about to explode into a rage or something, but the man remained calm as he stood. "I want you to gather the boys, Tychus. We're going in."

Tychus scowled. "You're still all set on going in there? Even after two of your boys go missing?"

"All the more reason to go," Jimmy snapped, some of that anger finally breaking through. He hefted his rifle and made for the exit. "If you want to stay here then fine. I ain't stopping you."

For a moment Tychus was tempted to take him up on that offer. He wasn't afraid of what might be in those temples, hell he'd charged into worse situations before, but that didn't mean he didn't exercise some caution on occasion. It just seemed like a dumb idea to him, going straight in there without so much as a sound plan. This wasn't like Jimmy and Tychus wasn't sure if it was the headache talking or some misguided guilt that he carried around with him nearly all the damn time.

He sighed, though it came out sounding like a growl as he clamped a hand down on Jimmy's shoulder to prevent him from leaving. "Think you're going to hog all the fun without me?"

Jimmy turned, looking confused as he closely studied him, whatever it was that his friend saw, he must have liked, because he broke out into a grin. "Thanks, Tychus."

"Yeah, yeah, just wait until I start busting out the 'I told ya so's'," Tychus snorted as he followed him out of the command centre.

Jimmy fired off a series of orders and regrouped with what was left of his team in the centre of the base. Tychus stood off the side, bored out of his mind, as Jimmy began to launch off into one of his heartfelt speeches about sticking together. Jimmy had a tendency to rattle off one of them speeches at the start of any dangerous mission they went into, which these days, turned out to be every one of them. It was the same speech, different words, and Tychus wondered how the Raiders weren't close to tears form the sheer boredom after hearing it who knew how many times. Judging by their looks of rapt attention, it seemed that he was the odd one out. Figures.

"All right, let's roll out!" Jimmy's voice cut into his thoughts. He directed the soldiers into the direction of the temple and turned to face Tychus, wearing a smirk. "Still with us?"

"How many times are you gonna give that damn speech before you think of a new one?"

"About as many times necessary," Jimmy replied easily. He moved forward, taking lead of the group, which was another one of his habits that grated on Tychus' nerves. Always the first one in to stick his neck out for his men and making all these crazy sacrifices that weren't good for him. It wasn't smart for a commander, that much Tychus could remember from his military days, but he never claimed that Jimmy had a whole lot of common sense.

Tychus fell in step behind Jim, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Someone had to watch Jimmy's back if he wasn't interested in keeping himself safe. He had to resort to visual scanning since whatever energy field the ruins were giving off were starting to interfere with his sensors the moment they stepped out of the compound. Jimmy, he saw, had his eyes on the ground and was studying the muddy tracks that led to the temple.

"Big enough for a CMC footprint," Jimmy said as he stepped next to one for comparison. "And they're fresh. More proof that they're in there."

"Big surprise there," Tychus muttered.

Jimmy shot him a wry look and continued forward, pausing every once in a while to note something that Tychus would have overlooked. Those damn hunting skills Jimmy had picked up as a kid made every little thing seem like a big deal to him. A broken branch or some over turned earth kept them stopping and extended their trip to the temple a little longer.

Not that Tychus could really complain since he didn't want to be anywhere near that place, but it was the anticipation that was starting to kill him. Each step they took felt like they were going to walk into some nightmare. He'd seen enough horror movies to know these kind of things never ended well.

Finally they came to a stop at the temple entrance. There were a few thousand years worth of mud and dirt built up around the temple's base that required for them to climb up a sizable hill to reach the wide set of doors that had been forced open by the missing ground team. The doors themselves were massive, nearly two stories high and wide enough that the entire team could enter together side by side without any trouble. It had to take a real uppity civilization for them to make an entrance this showy.

They had to climb down a dirt ramp into the dark maw of the ruins. Inside the air was surprisingly dry with no evidence of any of disrepair that the exterior of the ruins had gained. There was no light except for the beams that shone from the mounted lights on their rifles, which was barely any considering the massive cavern they'd dropped into. Not even the waning daylight that filtered down from what was left of the entrance could reveal the entire place.

Tychus kept expecting for a monster to jump out at him every time he directed his small circle of light over in a new direction, but there was only just a bunch of pillars that held up the roof and walls with a bunch of carvings. Jimmy took an interest with the walls, walking over to one to study it.

"These are protoss," Jimmy said when Tychus joined him.

Tychus cast a critical eye to the carvings and frowned. They were just a bunch of squiggle to him, until Jimmy began tracing the outline of one with his finger. He barely had any contact with the protoss and all he could really remember about them were those weird ass tendrils and the fact that they had no mouths, but there was a resemblance. Not much of one, but it was still there.

"What do ya think it means?" Tychus asked as he craned his neck. The carvings reached all the way to the ceiling.

Jimmy shook his head. "Not a clue."

They found more carvings on the walls and on the pillars as they drew deeper into the ruins. It didn't seem possible to Tychus, but the further they moved away from the entrance the bigger the place got though there wasn't much to the ruins. There certainly was that alien charm to it, but there were no relics or statues or anything that could have been of some value to them. These xel'naga were at least consistent with their decor, the interior was as bleak and colourless as the exterior.

"Grace?" One of the marines spoke up, bringing Jimmy to a halt.

"What?" Jimmy turned, shining his light over his group as he did a head count. Tychus did one too. They were down a person. "Where the hell is Grace?"

"I don't know, sir," said the same marine. "She was right behind me the entire time-"

"How the hell could she have just gone missing without anyone noticing?" Jimmy demanded. He reached for his comm. "Grace, answer me!"

There was a burst of static before Jimmy tried again with the same results. Tychus remained quiet as he watched Jimmy whirl around, searching frantically for the missing soldier. The others followed suit as they retraced their steps, sticking closer together than before. Eventually they began to take other routes they'd passed by, calling out for the soldier before Jimmy came to a stop. He stood still, stiff as a board as he peered down into a dark corridor. It looked almost as if he were listening to something, to what, Tychus had no clue. He just knew that he didn't like that far away look on Jimmy's face.

"What now?" Tychus asked as he came up beside his friend.

"We go down there." Jimmy nodded down the corridor.

"You sure that's smart?"

"Just a feeling I have," Jimmy murmured. He turned, signalling for what was left of his team to follow.

Arguing would be a waste of his breath, not with that determined look Jimmy was wearing right now. Tychus opted for rolling his eyes and remained silent as he lumbered behind his friend. All this nonsense about gut feelings just didn't sit right with him, but after all he'd seen since joining up with the Raiders, he couldn't argue with the man when he had a hunch.

They were led down another corridor that looked exactly the same as the hundreds of others they'd passed through, right down to the ancient carvings on the walls. From what he knew about the xel'naga, which wasn't much since he left that kinda stuff for the eggheads to deal with, he knew they were supposed to be an ancient and advanced race. It left him confused about why some super alien race would leave behind old temples and rock carvings.

Jimmy wasn't too interested in his surroundings either from that determined walk he'd adopted. The man was on a mission with the way he took sharp turns as though he had an idea of where he was headed. The more lefts and rights they took, the more unsure Tychus was about being able to find their way back. He was starting to lose track of where they were inside this damn place. At least the other soldiers were dropping markers, but Tychus was beginning to wonder if they'd brought enough. This place was huge.

"Where the hell are you taking us, Jimmy?" Tychus growled.

"Shut it, Tychus." Jimmy took another right, passing a large mural of some sort of creature that Tychus couldn't identify. It kinda looked zerg, but it also looked like a protoss. He could only spare it a glance before he had to hurry to keep pace with Jimmy.

Finally they came to a stop inside another large cavern that looked exactly the same as the rest of the ruins. The only difference was a detectable hum in the air, but judging by the muffled quality of the sound its source was probably in another room nearby. Tychus frowned as he studied the room, but there was nothing out of the ordinary here.

"Jimmy-" He was cut off when his friend held up a hand.

Jimmy walked forward and stopped in the middle of the room. Slowly he began to turn, shining his beam of light against the walls. There was more of that xel'naga writing and pictures, but Jimmy barely paused as he continued to turn until his light landed on the base of one of the pillars. Tychus made a face and heard one of the marines behind him curse.

It was one of the missing marines lying splayed against the pillar or at least Tychus assumed he was one of theirs. With the suit's power switched off and the face plate down, Tychus had no way of knowing for sure if it was occupied. The suit itself was a mess of torn wires and deep gouges, looking like some rabid animal had attacked the poor bastard. Jimmy stooped and ripped off the dog tags.

"Carson." Jimmy closed his hand around the piece into a tight fist. He closed his eyes momentarily before he snapped them open and reached to release the faceplate. It popped open and Jimmy snatched his hand away as black slime poured out of the helmet. A foul stench flooded the cavern, nearly causing Tychus to retch. He immediately sealed off his own suit and for once was glad for the recycled air that replaced the disgusting odour.

Jimmy remained stubborn and kept his visor up, but there was no hiding his look of disgust as he peered into the fallen marine's suit. What was inside made Tychus' stomach churn, he'd seen rotten corpses before, but nothing to that degree. Whoever Carson was, no one was going to be recognizing him now. Jimmy forced the faceplate down, but judging by his look of open disgust the stench was still air.

"What do you reckon happened to him?"

"Not even the slightest idea," Jimmy replied as he stood, his fist still clenched around the dog tags. "Never seen anything like that before."

"You got your answer," Tychus swept a hand over the corpse. "Can we get going now?"

Jimmy scowled at him and looked about ready to take a swing at him. For a moment Tychus just wished that pansy ass actually would hit him, nothing like a good fist fight to get that stick outta his rear. Also, Tychus wouldn't mind an excuse to give him a good ass kicking for a bit before his soldiers jumped into the fray.

"We'll go when I say so," He turned abruptly from Tychus and made for another corridor leading out of the room.

In the next room they found more bodies, all of them Jimmy identified as the missing ground team. Each one of the fallen soldiers were in the same state as Carson, their suits all torn up and black ooze coming from their helmets. The smell got bad enough that Jimmy relented and sealed his own suit before he moved on.

The ever present hum was getting louder and equally annoying. It reminded Tychus of the thrum of a ship's engine, but there was a pitch to it that made his eye twitch. He found himself grinding his teeth as he followed Jimmy, stopping once in a while when they came across more bodies. The rest of the squad was getting jittery, Tychus could tell that much and couldn't blame 'em. The shadows were becoming more menacing with each step they took; he swore he could hear voices.

There was a pained moan that brought the squad to a halt. Tychus whirled about, scanning the darkness for its source. He saw a figure dart past his light and cursed as he tried to chase after it, only catching a glimpse of a foot before it scrambled deeper into the shadows. The other marines followed suit, flinging their lights around the cavern as they pulled into a tighter knot.

"There!" Jimmy pinned the creature with his light, a suited marine, and opened fire. He hit his mark and sent his target wheeling into a hard crash against the stone wall. The marine twitched before scrambling quickly to its feet as though it'd never been hit. Jimmy took several steps back as the creature dove for him and he opened fire again, sending the creature to the ground.

There was another moan, Tychus turned in time for something big to barrel into him. Half stunned, he swore violently as armoured hands clawed uselessly at his suit. He was thankful he'd kept his visor down otherwise he'd be getting new scars to match the ones he already had on his face. It was a struggle to even get whatever the hell it was off him, but he managed to heave all of his weight forward and toss his assailant off him, right before it was riddled with a volley of spikes when the rest of the chicken suits decided to do something.

Jimmy came to his side and helped him to a sitting position, though his attention was wholly on the fallen body of Tychus' attacker. It was another marine, though its suit wasn't as dinged up as the others. Tychus grunted his thanks, but Jimmy was already stalking towards the fallen marine and flipping open the visor. The face was just barely recognizable for Tychus, but he still couldn't place the name.

"This is Richards," Jimmy said and then pointed over to the other corpse. "That was Dawson."

"Goodie, so we're gettin' the ol' gang back together again," Tychus muttered. He stooped to pick up the rifle he'd dropped, resisting the urge to spit on Richards. He had a feeling no one would appreciate the gesture.

Raynor glared at him and was ready to snap off a scathing retort until an invisible force shoved him backwards. He was sent hurtling into the far wall and slumped forward as he slid to the ground. Tychus turned to see two more marines step out of the shadows, one of them was Grace, the other he recognized as part of Jimmy's ground team. He assumed it was that Jeff guy, the first of their little band to disappear.

Tychus held up his rifle and was nearly thrown off his feet when his rifle was yanked away by an unseen hand and sent clattering into the dark. Around him the rest of the marines were sent backwards by the same invisible force, leaving him as the only one left standing. Grace and Jeff advanced forward, their hands held forward as their eyes glowed with a freaky inner light.

"Tychus!" Raynor grabbed his arm and pulled him backwards, out of the path of a blast that cratered the wall behind them.

Raynor didn't let go and continued to drag him out of the room, but instead of plunging into darkness, their path was growing brighter. Tychus blinked, wondering if he'd hit his head a little too hard until they stumbled into a room that was lit bright enough that Tychus had to squeeze his eyes shut until his visor could readjust. They'd found the source of that annoying hum at least and apparently the light. In the centre of the room was a floating crystal. It was looked a lot like those crystals the protoss favoured, but it was barely bigger than his fist. Somehow, something that small was shining brighter than a star. Looking at it, Tychus heard those voices again, louder and clearer. He swore he could almost make out what they were talking about, 'cept they were speaking in some language he couldn't understand.

"I'm just gonna take a wild guess that this is what them Moebius boys want so badly," Tychus grunted.

"It'd be a pretty safe bet," Jimmy admitted.

They turned sharply at the sound of approaching footsteps and saw both Grace and Jeff follow them into the room. Raynor shoved Tychus backwards, hefting his rifle to fire. "I don't know what's going on here, but you two better stand down. That's an order!"

Neither of the two seemed impressed by Jimmy's command, they came to a stop at the entrance, unaffected by the light of the crystal. Jeff waved his hand and the rifle was ripped out of Jimmy's hand before he could get a shot off.

"Got any other bright ideas?" Tychus grumbled. "When did those two have freaky mind powers in the first place?"

Raynor backed up a step and grimaced. "They didn't. Least none that I knew of."

They'd been in tighter spots before, faced a lot of crap together, but Tychus never thought they'd have to struggle against one woman and a scrawny kid. It was almost embarrassing; his ego was only just consoled by the fact that the rest of their team had fallen to them a whole lot faster. His rifle was sitting useless in the other room and he had no other weapons asides from his grenades and he had a feeling that if he even tried hurling one, the two kids with their mind powers would just throw it right back at him.

Grace raised a hand and Jimmy cried out as he was lifted into the air, flailing his arms as he was left suspended high above the ground. The girl made a cutting gesture with her hand and Jimmy slammed down against the floor, hard enough that Tychus heard something crack. He barely had time to register what had just happened until he was sent hurtling towards the wall, sending chunks of it flying across the room.

Dazed, Tychus struggled to move, but his limbs wouldn't obey him. He was pinned to the wall with his head pressed hard against the stone. From the corner of his eye he could just make out the two figures of Jeff and Grace. At their feet was Jimmy, who was still. Something snapped in Tychus. Hot rage flooded every muscle of his body as he shoved against the force that held him in place. A growl escaped his lips as he pushed against the wall. He was going to smash in their skulls and rip off their limbs once he got free. He could already see it and his lips pulled back into a snarl at the bloody image.

Whatever held him in place gave a little under his struggle. Tychus continued to push and saw the startled looks on the freaks' faces. One of them, the scrawny kid from the looks of it, gestured and a sharp piece of rock lifted into the air. Tychus nearly stopped, realizing the kid's intent. The rock was long and pointed enough to substitute for a blunt spear and with enough precision and strength it could do a hell of a lot of damage.

The kid hurled the rock, Tychus braced himself for impact. He heard a shot ring, and instantly the hold on him was gone, Tychus flung himself to the side, dodging the spear, but it'd gone wide and impaled into the wall several feet away. Tychus looked up to see the scrawny kid splayed on the ground, his face blown open and the woman seemingly unconscious beside him. Jimmy stood over them, rifle in hand and was hunched forward.

"Cutting it close there, Jimmy," he grunted as he limped over to his friend. Damn, his suit wasn't responding as smoothly as he'd liked, something was broke.

"Sorry, I'll do better next time," Jimmy muttered. He winced and dropped his rifle. "Gonna... need a medic."

"I think the medics are gonna need a medic," Tychus retorted as he flung Jimmy's arm over his shoulder to help him walk. "Hope you're in for a long walk back to base."

"Not leaving without the others."

"Knew you'd say something stupid like that," Tychus grumbled as he led Jimmy back to the room where the other soldiers had been knocked out.

There was no warning, not even a sound, but somehow Jimmy was aware of the danger. His friend twisted around, looking startled and Tychus followed suit to see the woman, Grace, back on her feet, with several spears of rock hovering around her. Tychus had enough time to swear, and tried to duck as the projectiles were flung towards them at breakneck speed. Jimmy shoved him away and he smacked against the ground. Tychus felt more parts in his suit give out, but his mind was focused solely on that wrenching sound of metal and flesh being torn apart. He bolted upright, saw Jimmy on the ground with three large spears sticking out of his chest and stopped thinking.

He roared and charged straight for Grace, who easily stepped aside. Tychus turned sharply, his momentum carrying him straight into the woman and sending them both into the wall. There were several crunches, none of them from Tychus. The wall had caved inward, locking him in place until he wrenched himself free. Grace wasn't moving and Tychus didn't spare the woman a glance as he headed straight for Jimmy.

His friend laid on the ground in a boneless sprawl, unmoving, no signs of life until Tychus saw the pained twitches in Jimmy's face. He didn't know what to do, panic was rising in him, quickly over taking his rage. The urge to slap Jimmy back to consciousness was the first thing he wanted to do, but he quickly suppressed that thought.

He needed a medic, they had one, but she was out of commission as well from the freaks' initial attack. Tychus didn't care. "Don't you dare die on me, you bastard," he growled and got up to seek help.

He'd spent nine years on ice for Jimmy and in one single act, that bastard had managed to make things even.

* * *

**Author's notes:** Alrighty, stated this in my profile, but ahhhhh what a pain it was to write this chapter due to the point of view I chose. I scrapped this chapter several times until I finally decided to just bunker down and write it out. Honestly, I am not happy with the end result, but it'd probably take a lotta rewrites before I could reach a version that woulda worked for me, which would have meant an even longer wait time for you guys.

Frustrating point of view aside, I really like Tychus, I like to believe that there's a lot more to him than the game lets on. I was honestly disappointed with his fate, I was expecting more outta his story than the obvious betrayal that they projected in the frickin' opening cinematic. Hence why I intend to give Tychus a big role in the story, one that people might not like, but I'm just gonna sit at my comp and laugh at how idiotic it'll turn out.

Enihoo, sorry for the long wait guys. I hope the chapter was enjoyable at least. The rewrites combined with the fact that I've been obsessively playing on ladder (and sucking quite a bit at it *coughs*) were the reasons for the delay. But! Something important to note! I shall be going to **Blizzcon** this week and geeking it up so hard at the Warcraft+Starcraft sections! If any of you guys are going too, please message me! I'd love to meet you guys there!

As always, big thanks to the people who take the time to review. Seriously, getting emails that you guys are put this fic on your favourites+the reviews just makes my day and definitely motivates me to keep writing. So thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The terran colony was newly established with a small population and an even smaller army to defend it. Chances were high that it was known only as a series of numbers under Dominion records. In fact, given the high amount of turmoil the Dominion was currently embroiled in, the fall of such an insignificant place would likely go unnoticed by the politicians on Korhal for several months. Eventually some self-important bureaucrat tasked with the menial job of updating official records would come across its fate and delete it from existence.

It was almost pitiful how quickly the swarm overtook the colony, expected, but Kerrigan had hope for at least some excitement. Standing amidst the charred ruins of several buildings that the terrans had put to torch themselves rather than allow her swarm to infest them, she was the lone figure that was unfazed by the chaos of the battle. Around her terrans fled in panic while her zerg were wreaking havoc. In the distance there were muffled explosions that shook the ground, barely drowned out by the constant gunfire as marines tried to provide some semblance of cover for the civilians.

Only a small portion of her mind was devoted to directing the flow of the battle, though she doubted even a fraction of her attention would have been needed considering how one sided events had turned out. In fact, she had to exercise far more power than usual in restraining her zerg.

The rest of her focus was on searching for her target. A small terran colony meant nothing to her. If by some small chance her minions stumbled upon a few terrans that had even a modicum of psionic power, they would have been small compensation for the time wasted here. No, there was another prize to be had and the colony was for the moment, a mere obstacle to her objective.

She directed a number of her swarm to detach from the attack force and to separate into small scouting parties. Her mind fanned out into several hundred directions and saw several streets, most of them in the same state of upheaval as the one she currently stood in, but there were a few that was still untouched by the battle.

The surviving terrans were trying to head to their starports to evacuate, how unfortunate that Kerrigan already had a force of mutalisks laying in wait for them. Fleeing terrans, however, were the least of her concerns. She returned her attention to searching, ignoring the steady stream of barely coherent thoughts the zerg relayed. Useless information was filtered and discarded while even relevant data from the battle was barely registered. She had to work rapidly before the terrans destroyed everything.

She saw the building through the murky view of a zergling and forced the creature to a halt and examine the facility. It was an innocuous looking building, squat with white washed walls and barricaded by an iron gate. The markings on the exterior of the building meant nothing to the creature, but Kerrigan smiled in satisfaction when she read the sign. She turned away from the carnage and pulled the majority of the swarm with her.

It was a Moebius facility, one of the many they had scattered in the sector. She'd razed colonies and planets in search of each one and so far had come away with nothing but extreme frustration. Somehow they were always one step ahead of her and were gone before she could make planet side. But not this time-there would be no ragtag band of rebels to save these people now.

She hurried with amazing speed through the colony until she came to a stop before the tall metal gates of the facility. Eyeing them for a moment, she scoffed at the flimsy barricade. There was a screech of metal as the bars bent under unseen pressure until it was sent hurtling away into several pieces.

Kerrigan gathered her zerg and continued forward, but Moebius was already mounting their defences. Several marines flooded from the building to surround her and the zerg. Kerrigan lifted a brow as she counted their numbers, there were twenty of them and she had over a hundred zerg, it was hardly a fair fight. She expected them to make a hasty retreat, but the soldiers stood their ground and opened fire. Rifle spikes tore through the zerg frontline as the creatures charged forward, barely faltering as they climbed over the corpses of their fallen brethren.

There were strangled cries from the terrans that were quickly muted by the howls of the swarm as they surged towards the building. The entrance was a pair of doors made of glass that shattered as hydralisks crashed through them. A large majority of her forces disappeared inside while a small number remained behind.

Kerrigan had to tighten her hold on the zerg from tearing the facility apart. She needed everything intact and she especially needed the scientists alive. Everything else was free game for them. The building was only four stories high with two basement levels, but her zerg managed to flood into each floor in a matter of moments, easily overcoming any resistance along the way.

She chose to go to the basements, chances were likely that if the Moebius Foundation wanted to hide something important, they'd put it someplace that was unlikely for anyone to stumble upon. A stark white hall lined with door after door greeted her when she descended the steps, bringing up old and bitter memories as she stared at them.

She shoved those thoughts aside, that had been a lifetime ago and someday, very soon, she would make several people pay. For now, she had a goal and every moment she spent letting her mind dwell on old memories was time given for the Moebius Foundation to destroy their own property rather than allow any data to fall into her hands. They'd certainly established a precedent for that on far too many planets already.

From a simple mental scan she could tell that this level was empty save for the zerg, most likely a large majority of the scientists had flee, but there were always a few stragglers who remained behind to do what they could to protect their research. Already she was receiving information on the capture of a few from the upper levels.

As she searched through each room she was beginning to notice a pattern to how Moebius designed their facilities. Each one was a sparse lab, equally drab and filled with that stomach churning aroma of sterilized equipment and chemicals. She tried a few of the terminals, but they were locked down.

The next room she entered was different than the others, it was some sort of bunk though it was small with only enough room for a cot and a plain table. She stood at the entrance rather than step inside, there was barely enough space for her wings to be comfortable. The room could have been a refuge for scientists who pulled long shifts, but it was suspiciously out of place even though there was nothing else of interest to be found.

She ignored that nagging feeling of hers and turned away. There was more of the facility to search and this tiny room was unimportant. Kerrigan took two steps away from the door and stopped. Down the hall zerglings were slashing at doors and walls alike while the exposed wires of overhead lights sparked dangerously. Through it all she was receiving a stream of thoughts, yet she could hear... _something_.

She strained with all senses, forcing the zerg into silence and gained a small moment of reprieve before the psychic connection roared back to life. A moment was all she needed, she'd heard just the barest whisper through the storm of frenzied thoughts, but she latched onto it and heard it clearly.

_Don't see me... don't see me... don't see me..._

It was frightened and confused, but the voice was undoubtedly terran and very close. She brushed against the mind and felt its horrified recoil as it threw up whatever defences it could. The mental barriers were stronger than what Kerrigan normally encountered, but were easily destroyed. A strangled cry erupted behind her and Kerrigan whirled around, her eyes widening fractionally.

Impossibly there was someone in the small room, a child barely older than ten years old. A young boy with dark hair huddled underneath the table. He met her gaze and scrambled backwards until he came up against the wall.

"Well, well," she murmured as she stepped into the room. "You're a long way from home, aren't you little boy?"

She stepped towards the table and crouched until she was eye level with the child. Eye contact was unnecessary, but it made it easier to pierce into the boy's mind. It amazed her in some ways, how simplistic the minds of children could be in a way that was different than the most basic instincts of a zergling. She'd come across many children since awakening from her chrysalis, the majority reacted as this one did, cowering and mewling at the monster queen. In some ways, children were far more intelligent than adults.

This one was a psionic and she could already taste the tampering of the Dominion's ghost programming on him. Contrary to what most mundane terrans believed, she found it far easier to read another psionic's mind. His memories were jumbled and there were significant gaps in them, a clear indication that he must have undergone memory reassignment. His most recent memories were easier to dig up, she saw through the boy's eyes as he stared out of a window of a ship towards a populated world, Korhal. Saw him arrive at this colony some time later, confused at why he was here, but there were many scientists that took him in and locked him away. Then there were the days spent in this very room, confused and alone.

They wanted to understand his strange ability. He called it his quiet voice.

"Is that how you hid from me?" She spoke more to herself than to the child. She grinned and reached forward, grabbing a fistful of the boy's shirt and yanked him forward. "That's an interesting ability you have there..." She brushed against his mind, trying to find his name. "Colin, is it?"

The boy ducked his head, squeezing his eyes shut, at this point she didn't even need to focus on reading his mind. He'd stopped trying to hide himself and was broadcasting his thoughts loudly. For someone so young, he had a very clear understanding of death. "Don't worry," she said and threw the boy towards the door. "I won't kill you. So long as you're a good boy and do as I say."

The boy stumbled, falling onto all fours, but was back on his feet in an instant. For a moment he looked ready to bolt until he caught sight of the zerg that were wreaking destruction in the halls. His shoulders slumped, somehow becoming even smaller and looked towards Kerrigan, his eyes questioning, but still brimming with fear.

She favoured him with a cold smile and several zerglings came to her side. "It's only your brain that interests me, Colin. If you try to run my zerg will rip off your legs. Understand?"

With his head ducked, Colin managed a small nod and took several steps back when the zerglings moved around him. The creatures prodded at him until he began to move and began to lead him down the hall.

Kerrigan watched his retreating back as he stumbled forward, trying not to trip over the zerglings that ran underfoot. His mind was open to her now, he was afraid, but that was no surprise. For a child he displayed a certain amount of bravery and far more intelligence than what most grown men would in similar situations. She wondered if it was a result of that ghost conditioning or some part of the boy's past that still clung to him. It mattered little to her now, she could dwell on the mystery of the boy's abilities later, despite the amusing diversion she'd wasted too much time already.

Excitement rang through the swarm, before Kerrigan could determine the cause she was nearly knocked off her feet when the building shook violently. In the distance, somewhere above was the roar of an explosion, intense enough to knock fixtures in the ceiling loose. She side stepped an overhanging light that broke apart and was prepared enough for the second explosion to remain steady on her feet.

She flung her mind forward, trying to route the cause and there on the rooftop, her zerg were scattering from an attack. She caught a brief sight of terran aircrafts before they released another volley of missiles. The impact incinerated what was left of the zerg, but she'd seen enough. The Moebius Foundation was starting to become very predictable.

Her lips curled in disgust as she ordered what was left of her swarm to evacuate the building while simultaneously pulling her mutalisks away from their assault on the colony. The likelihood of air support arriving in time before the building was completely destroyed was slim, but they'd provide cover for escape.

There was an eruption of flame from far down the hall behind her that flung burning shrapnel in her direction. The shield she erected sparked under impact, but was in no danger of breaking. The terran airstrikes were growing more frequent, rocking the building into a perpetual quake that made it difficult for Kerrigan to find her footing. She had to maintain her shield as the ceiling started coming down in pieces around her.

She managed to reach the stairwell and nearly growled when she saw that they'd fallen apart. With her only exit from the basement blocked, she was trapped. For all her ineffectual rage as she climbed over top the wreckage of the stairs, there was fear beneath it and the part of her that was willing to acknowledge that fear, realized that there was a familiarity in her situation. She remembered Tarsonis, the blazing heat and the suffocating realization that it was over.

Except it'd never really ended there, depending on some points of view, it was actually a beginning for her. A new life reborn within the swarm that at the outset was far too alike to her old one. She'd swapped one master for another, Mengsk for the Overmind, but there'd been freedom afterwards when she'd stood triumphant over her enemies. She snarled, she hadn't fought this far, this hard, to die in a wretched science facility.

There was another blast, close enough that the heat penetrated her shield. She backed away from the inferno that roared in the hall, clambering up the debris and nearly slipping into the flames when her perch crumbled away. She caught onto what was left of the railing and hoisted herself back, letting go when she found secure footing.

She had a moment to brace herself until the building ignited into a chain reaction of explosions. Fire roared around her, the brilliance of the conflagration was blinding. The foundation and supports were blasted away, sending what remained of the three story building to collapse inwards.

Kerrigan had only the barest fraction of a second to react. Surrounded in a protective bubble, the shield she'd originally created, she strained under the tons of weight that was crushing down on her. The flames had been kept at bay, but what part of her body that hadn't been covered by her exoskeleton had been vulnerable to the scorching heat that had permeated through her shield. The flesh of her face and the soft tissue of her eyes and nose had burned away. The white hot pain that had every nerve of her body screaming was enough to distract her from her task in trying to keep the rubble from flattening her. Already she could tell that she was healing just by the lessening of the pain.

She'd crushed tanks as though they'd been tin cans and yanked protoss voidrays from the air, but she'd never tested the limits of her powers to this extent. Even if she could maintain the shield indefinitely, the next pressing matter was air. By merit of her physiology, she could survive far longer without oxygen now than she could have five years ago, but eventually she was going to suffocate.

With nearly the entirety of her mind focused on the shield, she was only minimally aware of her zerg far above. They were frantically burrowing towards her, if she still had ears she probably could have heard them tunnelling away.

All that remained for her to do was wait.

* * *

By the time the battle ended there were only eight survivors from a colony that numbered in the hundred thousands. Seven of them were the scientists captured from the facility and the eighth was the boy, Colin, who stood mutely in a ring of zerglings that strained against the mental leash that kept them from ripping him apart.

What remained of the colony itself was being consumed by the creep that was slowly crawling along the ruined surfaces. What the creep couldn't destroy the drones were busily tearing apart. It would be less than a day before the planet would become a suitable settlement for the zerg. Already spires of pulsating flesh were growing from the creep that would eventually mutate into nests. Several hatcheries had been planted and queens were tending to the thousands of eggs that would replenish the zerg forces that had been lost during the invasion.

Kerrigan stood ankle deep in creep on a hill top and watched the proceedings with only partial interest. She'd seen the zerg turn hundreds of worlds before and the novelty had worn off long ago. In a way watching the zerg at work reminded her of watching paint dry, it was dull and she actually had little to do with the transformation. The process was inherent in the zerg, a part of their ancient biology that relieved Kerrigan of having to oversee any particular task.

She turned her attentions instead to the scientists who were being herded towards her by a handful of hydralisks. They were mostly middle aged men dressed in lab coats that had undoubtedly been a pristine white before the attack. Now they were covered in a mixture of mud and viscera that left no part of their bodies unstained.

Fear rolled off them in waves that spiked when they caught sight of her, leaving Kerrigan feeling slightly satisfied. The complete destruction of the colony provided a small measure of vengeance, but she'd felt cheated. After being buried alive for those moments that had seemed like eternity, she'd wanted to punch her fist into a terran's gut, but when she'd rose above ground there'd been no one left to kill.

Except for these men. She going to enjoy their deaths once they served their purpose.

They were forced to stop and were assembled into a line. Three of them were bleeding from various superficial wounds, but the rest were relatively unscathed. They still had all four limbs and a head at least. She eyed them and nearly laughed when none of them could meet her gaze head on, but then again she couldn't remember the last time she'd encountered anyone had that kind of courage. Perhaps Zeratul, but she'd never been able to figure out if it was sheer stupidity or uncanny bravery that drove that protoss on.

She approached one of the scientists, he was shorter than her, balding and bleeding with a deep gash across his forehead. Her hand shot forward, quicker than he could blink and she closed her fingers around his neck, tight enough to constrict his airway. She held her grip for several beats, counting them from the pounding pulse of the man's jugular before she relaxed and tossed him to the ground. He fell onto his back, gasping loudly for breath.

She placed a heeled foot on his chest and applied enough pressure that the point dug into his flesh. "That was just a warning," she murmured and leaned forward so that she could stare into his eyes. He flinched and looked away. "If you even think about running, I kill you. That goes for all of you." She looked around at the rest of the scientists.

With a sneer, she stepped off the man and left him on the ground. To his credit, he managed to climb into a kneeling position, whereas most terrans would have curled into a whimpering ball by now. The rest of the scientists seemed to take the hint, they were cowering now, looking ready to wet their pants, which suited Kerrigan fine. Fear tended to make minds harder to read, their thoughts were more erratic, but she found that she rarely had to perform any in depth mind reading once men were suitably frightened. All she had to do was ask a few questions and they answered.

A thought tugged at her and she glanced over at the ring of zerg, Colin was watching them with wide eyes. Her lips curved into a cruel smile, causing him to visibly shrink. Too bad for the boy then, his curiosity had caught her attention and now she had an idea that would make things even more entertaining.

She sent out a mental command and at once the zerglings that guarded Colin hissed. They began to force the boy forward, bumping into him from behind until he began to walk. She reached out and grabbed his arm once he was within in range and yanked him to her side. The boy still hadn't made a sound, not even a startled cry, which left Kerrigan wondering if he could even speak. He could, his cry at the facility had given him away, but she'd heard of people traumatized into silence before. Well, if that was the case, she'd find out soon enough.

"Colin," she said sweetly and released her grip on him to place a hand on his shoulder. "Read that man's mind and tell me what he's thinking." The scientist that she pointed at looked up sharply and his eyes widened in clear recognition when his gaze landed on the boy.

Colin looked confused and for several moments he continued to remain silent, but all it took was a warning, a brief mental image of her claws tightening painfully on his shoulder, for him to act. He screwed his eyes shut, brows furrowed in deep concentration, the expression looking completely out of place on his young face, but it was a look Kerrigan knew. She'd worn it once a long time ago.

"He knows me," he said in a voice that was hoarse from lack of use. His eyes were still closed, but his expression was relaxing, becoming serene. "He wanted to figure out my quiet voice and see if he could get others to do it too."

"Very good, Colin," she praised and laughed at his incredulity. "A little clumsy, but good enough for a beginner."

She let him go and at once the zerglings were around him without having to be prompted. The zerg's affinity for psionics made Colin a new object of interest the moment he'd been found. It was more of an annoyance than anything else for Kerrigan, having to constantly reissue her commands to keep the boy from harm.

"Now watch a master at work," she spoke to Colin though her gaze was locked on the still bleeding scientist as she stalked towards him. The man was rooted to the spot, held there by a psionic field, though he was trembling when she placed a hand on his chest. It was all theatrical, she could have simply stood by Colin's side to root through the man's mind as well, but actions, at least visible ones, also played a part in keeping prisoners in line.

The way a corner of her lip curled into a nearly sadistic smirk was the only warning the scientist had, but no amount of mental barriers he erected could have kept her from her goal. They were formidable, she could admit that much, a sign of someone who had training, but the barriers were easily shattered. Distantly, she could hear a pained scream, but it was washed away by the multitude of thoughts and images that flooded from the depths of his mind.

His life story was told in a scattered arrangement of memories that barely had any cohesion. She ignored the sordid moments of his childhood, swatting them aside for the thoughts that mattered to her. Slowly the information came, just as jumbled and jarred as the rest of the scientist's pathetic childhood, but through his memories she understood the purpose of the Moebius facility. Constructed and staffed by other scientists who specialized in psionics, they wanted to gather subjects to exploit their abilities.

She pulled away from what was left of his thoughts and left the scientist quivering on the ground, at some point of her perusal of his mind he'd soiled himself and the stench made her wrinkle her nose. A pair of hydralisks slithered forward and dragged him away to who knew where, Kerrigan didn't care. Chances were likely he'd be serving as the next meal for several zerg, they had no scruples when it came to terran flesh.

Satisfied with her findings, she turned her attention to her audience and her smile widened. The scientists looked ready to faint, but it was Colin's reaction that intrigued her most, his complexion had turned to ashen. Judging by the nearly pained expression he wore it was evident that he was sensitive enough to pick up on the psionic waves that had emanated from her mind reading.

"They don't teach you that until you're well into your advanced classes at the ghost academy." Colin started at her words and looked up at her, both confused and afraid. She knew what was on his mind without having to read it. "Don't worry. I have something else in mind for you."

She made a dismissive gesture and the zerglings trilled before they forcefully ushered Colin away. He seemed almost relieved to leave. She probably should have had him taken away before she started her mental stroll through the scientists mind, but it was too late for regrets. At least she was granting him a small mercy now. There was no point in completely traumatizing the kid by having him witness what she was planning to do with the rest of the scientists. It wasn't going to be pretty.

As Kerrigan pondered what sort of torture she could put the scientists through she collapsed to her knees, crying out as pain exploded in her mind. Something snapped, a thread, and she instantly felt bereft of a presence that was she'd taken for granted all these years. She hunched forward, hands slamming into the ground at flares of heat of seared into three very specific points in her torso. Around her the zerg shrieked, an echo of her pain, which she realized was also an echo.

She took in gasping breaths as the wave of anguish subsided and looked up to see the scientists watching her with bewildered expressions. A snarl escaped her lips and she signalled for their deaths. The zerg leapt on them, their savage howls drowning out the terrified screams of the terrans.

Kerrigan barely spared the slaughter a thought, the entirety of her mind focused on one specific avenue, she was almost frantic as she tried to reach out. To him. To Jim.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And finally Kerrigan enters the fic. I'm not going to lie, a large reason why there was a delay was due to her point of view. She's a hard voice to capture and it's hard to right a chapter around one character who has no one to really interact with asides from mindless zerg, but here I go making excuses.

And yes it's _that_ Colin from the manga. I love him too much not to include him into the fic.


End file.
